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Saturday, March 7, 2015

“The discovery of the possibilities of this modern ‘magic
carpet’ exerts a powerful stimulative influence upon the imagination which is
not easily forgotten.”Edward L. Nelson.
1925

This statement by
Western Electric engineer Edward Nelson reflects the impact of early radio
after its introduction to the general public in 1920. This column deals with the history of local
radio and is the first of a two-part series. The second will appear next month
and cover television’s introduction locally. Information was collected from this newspaper
and its predecessors, area seniors and radio websites.

Radio was used by military forces before and during World
War I with both point-to-point and broadcasting signals.All amateur and commercial use was prohibited
during the war. The armed forces used radio for military communications as well
as entertainment for service personnel.For this reason returning servicemen were among those who recognized the
value of radio in civilian life.

In 1919 the government allowed radios to be used for
civilian broadcasting. It is generally
recognized that KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA was the first radio station and it began
broadcasting in October 1920.By 1922
there were 600 radio stations across the nation with many of them operated by
amateurs with radio telephones. The first radio receivers were crystal sets
built from home kits.In 1924 these were
replaced by vacuum tube sets and the earlier earphones were replaced by
amplification.

The local columns of The
United Opinion carried the news of radio’s introduction in area
communities.Bernard Crafts of Bradford
purchased that town’s first radio in 1921. In 1922 Thetford’s column mentioned
that Charles Vaughan installed his new radio and brought it to the local church
“Sunday evening for the entertainment of those present.”In East Corinth, A. C. Jackman “recently
installed a radio and can now listen to concerts, etc., as far west as
Davenport, Iowa.”

That same year the Dodd and Slack boys of Newbury
“successfully listened to a concert and prize fight.”In South Newbury, a crowd gathered at one
home to hear a concert “distinctly from Schenectady.”In Wells River, Wendell Clark had a “radio
phone” and Haverhill’s Ralph Simpson had a radio to share lectures, concerts
and baseball scores “through the air.”

Vermont’s first radio station was a project of UVM’s Radio
Club. It operated an amateur station
beginning in 1921. That station received a license as WCAX and went on the air on
October 10, 1924 and remained nonprofit until it was purchased by the Burlington Daily News in 1931. New Hampshire’s first radio station went
on the air in August 1922. It was Laconia’s WKAV, a station that changed its
call letters to WLNH in 1934 after a brief shutdown.

The 1930s have been described as “the golden age of
radio.”The radio became a centerpiece
of furniture for millions of families. Despite fears that “playing with the radio”
was a serious distraction, car radios became a standard feature in automobiles.
Battery-powered radios allowed them to go almost everywhere.

By 1934 there were 583 radio stations nationwide and 60
percent of households had radios. Radio used its broadcast potential to bring
the nation together in new ways with both common listening experiences and mass
marketing.

Many rural locations
did not have electricity and if families could actually afford a radio it had
to be battery operated.One West Topsham
resident recalled that the 6-volt battery that powered his family radio was
actually recharged by a windmill.

Those interviewed recalled listening to shows such as “The
Lone Ranger,” “The Shadow” , Edgar Bergen, Kate Smith, Jack Benny and “Fibber
McGee and Molly.” Soap opera such as “One Man’s Family” joined radio drama,
news broadcasts, comedy, variety and quiz shows. Individual stations and
networks featured musical programming in every genre from opera to country. Families
rearranged their schedules to listen to favorite programs.

Many of those interviewed recalled the newsflash that
interrupted regular programming on Sunday afternoon, December 7, 1941 or the
announcement of the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in April 1945.By that time 95 percent of all homes had
radios.

During the 1930s and 40s, TheUnited Opinion included
the syndicated gossip column “Star Dust” written by Virginia Vale. It included
news of radio and film personalities and notices of upcoming programs. The
newspaper also reported other radio happenings including WDEV’s 1939 Bradford
Community Program sponsored by local businesses.

Presidents made use of the radio to communicate with the
American public.In 1924 Calvin Coolidge
gave the first address specifically written for radio.Franklin Roosevelt used radio broadcasts from
1933 to 1944 to offer reassurance to a nation in the grips of the Great
Depression and World War II. Locals
remembers these “fireside chats.” Harry
Truman continued national radio broadcasts into the post-war era.

One of the most popular stations in Vermont is Waterbury’s
WDEV. It began broadcasting on July 16, 1931 at 550 AM on the dial. The next
day’s edition of The United Opinion
carried an editorial of congratulation for the new station, calling the
inauguration “one of the outstanding events of the year in Vermont.”It specifically cited station owner Harry
Whitehill “for his initiative in successfully launching a station in the
smallest village in New England to have such a modern touch for dissemination
of information and entertainment.”

In October 2013 WDEV President Ken Squier spoke about the
history of the station to a Bradford audience.He said that Whitehill owned several newspapers in Vermont and, knowing
that “more people can hear than read,” envisioned a local and relevant newspaper
on the air.His assistant was Lloyd
Squier, known on the radio as “The Old Squier.”

Many local elders
listed this station first when asked what station they listened to as
youngsters. Cows were milked to the sounds of WDEV playing on barn radios and
local basketball games were broadcast from local gymnasiums. Many recall
listening to Boston sports broadcasts.

The music of Don Fields and His Pony Boys was especially
popular. WDEV is also remembered for its coverage of auto racing, “The Trading
Post” program and “Music To Go To The Dump By.” The station has been cited as
one of the nation’s best example of independent radio broadcasting.

Boston is New England’s central city and its radio station
WBZ had a strong presence among listeners throughout the region. The station
began broadcasting on Sept. 19, 1921 from the Eastern States Exposition in WestSpringfield, Massachusetts and relocated to
Boston in 1924.Its programming included
reports of Boston Bruins and Boston Braves ball games and in March 1925 it
broadcast the presidential inauguration of Calvin Coolidge.In 1926 it became an NBC affiliate.

I remember listening to that station’s morning program featuring
Carl DeSuze and weatherman Don Kent. Several elders mentioned Boston’s WEEI. It
began broadcasting in 1924 and offered CBS programming and Boston sports.

Growing up in Orofrd, I shared a bedroom with three
brothers.My two older ones controlled
our single bedroom radio. They liked country tunes and so, like many locally,
we listened to WWVA’s Jamboree from Wheeling, West Virginia nightly. The
station went on the air in 1926 and by the early 1950s it broadcast 24 hours a
day with 50,000 watts on 1170 AM. As many local stations went off the air at
sundown, this station had a strong night time signal that reached the Northeast.

The station alternated evening programs of dance tunes with
“cowboy music.”It was the latter we
listened to. Lee Moore was the DJ we remembered and performers such as Hawkshaw
Hawkins and Doc Williams and the Border Riders were among the many that joined
the broadcast. Doc Willams brought his national tour to the local area several
times.

On October 3, 1975 local residents flipping the radio dial
heard a new station broadcasting from the old school building in Wells
River.It was the beginning of a
long-standing affair between WYKR and the listening public of the North Country.Early morning listeners became accustomed to
the Yankee twang of owner Gene Puffer as the station offered birthday
greetings, lost and found notices, a calendar of local events, interviews with
local personalities and country music.

Play-by-play broadcasts of sports events included Norwich
University football as well as local high school ball games and softball league
play became part of the station’s regular programming. Remote broadcast from
local fairs, parades and business openings became common fare.

Puffer had an image of what a community radio station was
and WYKR became that for many. “It can’t be faked” he said and it wasn’t.Radio personalities included Gerry Brooks and
Stephen John Puffer, who were too many “like a member of the family.” While
waiting at the station for an on-air interview I asked Clara Puffer how Gene
knew how to pronounce unfamiliar names.She said that he listened to the news the night before in hopes of
getting the correct pronunciation.

In February 1982 the Journal
Opinion ran an article about the station entitled “A Bit of Nashville in
Wells River.”The station had dropped
other music formats to go 100 percent country in response to the community
interests.In 1990 the station received
an FM license. The AM broadcast continued as WTWN ll00 with a Christian
family-oriented programming.The station
moved to its present location on Route 302 in 1998. This past November Gene
Puffer passed away. His station continues to broadcast, a testimony to his love
of radio and community.

Undoubtedly many who read this column will not find their
favorite radio stations mentioned. Those may be commercial stations such as WSNY
Albany-Schenectady that originated in 1942, WTSLbroadcasting from Lebanon beginning in 1950
or Mt. Washington’s WHOM that went on the air as WMTW in 1958. There are the listener-supported
stations such as Vermont Public Radio, established in 1977, and New Hampshire
Public Radio that began broadcasting in 1981.

The advent of television put a great deal of pressure on
traditional radio stations.Most
programming was dropped in favor of just music, talk and news. Today satellite
radio and webcasting on the Internet has changed what it means to be a radio
station, especially a regional one.

Despite the changes, those who enjoyed old-time radio recall
that traditional programs did something that television cannot do well. The
script and the accompanying image-inspiring sound effects caused the listener’s
boundless imagination to run wild.

I will always
remember the advertisement for radio that invited the listener to mentally visualize
the following: “Let’s fill Lake Michigan with hot chocolate. Now signal a plane
to drop a 700-ft pile of whipped cream topped with a 10-ton cherry, all to the
cheers of thousands of spectators.” Sound effects were added. When the listener’s imagination was fully
involved in this unlikely scenario, the announcer finished with “Now let’s see
television do that!”

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About Me

I am the President of the Bradford Historical Society. I retired after teaching social studies in Bradford for 42 years, beginning at Bradford Academy in 1964 and finishing at Oxbow High School in June 2006. Throughout my teaching career I emphasized local history as a bridge to understanding United States history. This column has been a major activity of my retirement and I thank those who helped me research the topics and edit the writings. The towns covered include Thetford to Ryegate in Vermont and Lyme to Haverhill in New Hampshire. I have sold out of my first book IN TIMES PAST: ESSAYS FROM THE UPPER VALLEY, which raised $5300 for the Bradford Public Library. Book Two is now available by mail for $20, check payable to the Bradford Public Library, sent to Larry Coffin, PO Box 490, Bradford,VT 05033 or purchased at local outlets.